Chapter 3: The Results of a Bath

Snake had been listening to the male members of the first troupe. Joker was, as always, full of laughter and Peter was griping about having yet another mouth to feed. But apparently Dagger wanted a little guy talk, whatever that was, and was trying to get him to, well, talk about something happening between him and Eden. But what was there to tell?

She was strong, no doubt about that. Her eyes were so vibrant and green that they could be seen from the shadows. Her lithe body was perfect for being in the circus. Oscar liked her a lot. And she smelled wild, like earth and plants. That was what really attracted his attention. If all it took was a beautiful face and a lusty body, he would have been as infatuated with Beast as Dagger was. Luckily, he wasn't because that was a fight he could live without.

Hearing the sound of chattering females, Snake turned to look in their direction and froze. Wendy and Beast were a common sight fresh from the spring. They liked smelling fresh and clean. But the wild girl who had been encrusted in dirt and had leaves, vines, and flowers in her dusty hair- that girl was now clean. And she was beautiful. Skin lightly tanned, hair the color of caramel and free of knots and dirt.. and her clothes had changed too. Instead of a skirt of small green leaves, she now wore a few large dark green leaves that went to her mid thigh, a breast covering that looked like bluebells, and a long sleeved bright violet tail coat that held in the front and had yellow stripes in the front and back like iris petals. Her feet were still bare, her toenails and fingernails a luscious shade of green.

xxxXxxx

Eden smiled at the men whom she would be working with. It seemed to be unanimous that a good scrub was what she needed to really shine. But Snake had yet to say a word...or blink, even. He appeared frozen where he stood, eyes fixated on her and mouth slightly open. The forest child hoped that the shock he was going through was a good one.

Moving over to him, she stood before him, tall and proud but out of her comfort zone since she didn't have a healthy coating of dirt on her body. Feeling it between her toes did help with any anxiety she would be experiencing if she'd let the girls convince her to wear shoes. Tilting her head, she asked, "So...are these clothes more suitable for performing?"

He seemed to snap out of it and nodded. "Y-you look beautiful in anything...says m-me...and everyone..." Dozens of snakes popped their heads out and slithered over. She could hear all the praise from them, Emily expressing her jealousy at not being able to wear the flower petals the way that she could. Even Oscar came out from between her breasts and nodded, hissing his encouragement. She smiled happily, glad that she had gotten this right. Matching colors was one thing, getting the right style was quite another, according to Beast.

Joker grinned as he invaded their space, snakes hissing as they moved away from his feet. "So, Eden, I got an idea~ if yer willin' ta listen?"

The forest child nodded and gave him her undivided attention. By the end of his spiel, she tilted her head. "So I'm going to be sharing Snake's timeslot in the show? But I have yet to practice with him. And it's more than enough that he is here with me. I don't want him to feel slighted..."

Snake took her hand and shook his head. "We are fine with sharing, says Emily... Joker makes a good point, says Wordsworth. Let's train together and we'll see if this will work, says Keets..."

Eden looked Snake in the eye and nodded, moving closer. "Alright...if you're sure..."

Joker held up his skeletal hand and waved it around. "That's wha' I'm talkin' abou'! Yer perfect t'gether! Snake can fill ye in and ye can practice until yer acts're perfect as ye are!" He walked away, declaring that the lineup would be adjusted and that they needed to be ready in a couple of weeks when they arrived in London. Until then, Snake would have to train her in their new joint act and perform his solo act.

xxxXxxx

Night fell on the circus and everyone retreated to their own tents. Eden sighed as she try to lay on the cot they set up for her, despite how much she insisted that she didn't need one as long as they were near trees. Apparently there weren't any decent trees in London so she would need one anyway. But they were so hard...how did anyone sleep like this?

A feel of scales and a small hiss let her know that Oscar was once again with her. She sighed and sat up, taking Oscar with her. "I have no idea how humans can sleep on these things...but since I won't be sleeping any time soon, let's get you back to Snake..." She left the tent she was in and searched for Snake's. She'd been warned about it from Joker so she at least knew the direction to head in.

At last, she arrived to a tent full of hissing. Entering the tent, she spotted Snake who seemed very surprised by her intrusion. Figuring it was a territory thing, she took a step back and lowered Oscar to the ground. "I am sorry... I could not sleep and Oscar... I did not mean to invade your territory so hastily."

Snake watched her with those beautiful yellow eyes. Those eyes that made her want to curl up next to him. That gave her an idea. Blinking at him, she took a chance. "May I sleep with you...?"

He made a choking noise and fell off his cot in shock. it was covered in blankets and some of them had gone with him onto the floor. He stammered, blushing deeply.

When it sounded like he was going to reject her, she looked at Emily. "I'm not trying to solicit myself. I just...can't sleep in my tent. I've never slept in a cot and I don't think I will ever be able to. Plus...I've been alone for so long, now that I've found someone so similar to myself, I don't want to be alone anymore...Even in my sleep..."

The female snake seemed to accept her answer and hissed at the flustered Snake. He blushed even more as he nodded silently. He would let her into his bed...sleep next to him. But only for tonight...